Nightmare on Gorgossium
by redheadrebel77
Summary: When a girl breaks into Iniquisit,she finds more than she expected. Rated T just in case.This is my first fanfic. Please R&R. Chapter 3 up!
1. The Breaking in of a Thief

**Ok, so this is my first fanfic. Please R&R.**

**I do not own any of Clive Barkers characters, or his setting. Though I do own my characters, and my plot.**

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Chapter 1:

Wren sat in the stool at the bar, sipping her drink. The hood of her cloak was over her head, she did not want people to see her more than they needed to. They would recognize her instantly, and the government would be pleased if she had been caught. _I have to do this _she thought. She got up, paid her fine, and left. When she stepped out the door, she was greeted with an unfamiliar, but not unappreciated, sight; the chattering townspeople and markets set up in the streets of Babilonium, the Island of six p.m. She sighed and breathed in the smells that were mingled together- flowers, fish, plastic, and other sorts. She turned down a dark alley into the streets known as the "black market". The smells changed here. They were now the smells of flesh, secrecy, traders, revenge, Night in itself. There she purchased a nice array of metal lock picks, a crowbar, a small handsaw, a grappling hook, some silk rope, and a hammer. She stuffed them carefully in her side bag, careful that nothing poked out suspiciously. Then she turned the other way and walked over to the docks. She was greeted by a hundred or more ships, all bearing red paint. _Here it goes_. She thought.

She directed her footsteps over to a boat that looked almost like the other ones, except by a name painted in gold letters on the side of the boat. _Tahe Nen Pioniat ida hey Isabella._ The Pirates of the Isabella. It was a stolen ship, and she knew, because she had helped to steal it. She walked up the boards that were placed carelessly on top of two parallel wood planks, and onto the deck. She went up to the man that was standing at the head of the ship.

She knew she was free from the eyes of onlookers, so she removed her hood.

"I'm ready whenever you are captain." She said. The man, or mans as she should say, that she was speaking too were like no other. He had a pair of horns on his head, each with three or four heads on them. The John bothers. At the moment, she was speaking to the main head of the party, John Mischief. He knew exactly who she was, for she worked for him. And, being an outlaw like herself, he knew why she had come here- Babilonium had the best markets, no matter what you were looking for.

"So you're ready, then?" was his reply.

"Yea, she's ready. Ready to lose her life!" One of the Brothers shouted sarcastically. Wren just nodded. Mischief ran up to the wheel, and shouted "Time to go!" And with that the sails were let down and the anchor raised. With each second, the ship seemed to grow more confident in itself and then suddenly, the wind filled the sails, and carried it over the churning waves of the Sea of Isabella.

After a few hours, they could see the distant outline of the Pyramids of Xuxux at one in the morning. Mysterious things they were. Nobody was sure what lived in there, but they were sure there was something was there, just beyond the shadows.

Another few hours passed, and then they saw the red clouds of Gorgossium. There they also saw Iniquisit, and below, the plain, rock landscape. It was a torture device made real. Men from other islands were digging in the ground for the mud that would make Mater Motley's Stichlings real. Monsters roamed outside of the walls, keeping watch for any victim unlucky enough to fall into their claws. There was a cemetery, a place, although meant to be scary and full of unimaginable terror, seemed like a pinpoint to what lay ahead of Wren. Around the back, there was The Lord of Midnight's garden, if you could call it that. There were twisted flowers, they would cut your finger in two if you touched them, and ravens that pecked continuously at you, always aiming at your eyes. There was also a forest of gallows, and the dead bodies that were hung there sang when the wind blowed. The ravens that had pecked out the dying human's tongues had also gained their voices, and talked to passerby's.

She was here to prove something. Wren was to be the best thief on all the Islands. She secretly hoped to be better then the John Brothers themselves. But this would be her test of skill. She either accomplished it, or died trying. There was no in between. Her goal-to steal any items she found valuable. And the John's weren't just talking a spoon or an old book. They meant something that would make them rich. They would, of course give her 40, a reasonable price, considering that they were training her and she would be the only person in Abaratian history to be trained by the best of thieves.

"Here we are!" The Johns chorused. It sounded like a merry good-bye, even though Wren was about to enter the most heart stopping terror she knew. What if guards caught her? Or _worse_, Christopher Carrion himself!

"Thanks," She said. "Will you guys stay here, or are you going to go visit another place for awhile?"

"Ha! Wrong both times! We are going to hide out. Look for us by that patch of brush." John Swallow said. "Mischief, will you point for me?" John Mischief pointed, then came up to her, and with one hand, shook Wren's own, and with the other, put it on her shoulder. "And be careful." He said. With that, she put her hood back on and jumped off the side of the deck.

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Her hood clung to her red hair as she swam toward Gogossium. Even her clothes were sticking to her, making it harder to swim. Wren wished that they could have just taken a small row boat, but she knew that was pointless. This was the best way to get to the Thirteen Towers without being noticed. After she got inside-now that was a different matter.

She reached the shore, exhausted from her swim. It felt like she had swam for miles in only a few seconds, but she knew that it had only been half a mile, and that she had swam at an even pace, for a few minutes.

She started climbing the bank, glancing left and right every few minutes, unsure of where the monsters were, and the Prince himself. She shivered at the thought of seeing him face-to-face. When she approached the wall, she got out her grappling hook. She looked up. They had come the back way, and she was staring right up at the Twelfth Tower-where Carrion resided. She sighed.

It didn't take her long to throw the grappling hook up, make sure it was tight, and start climbing. Wren's heart pounded inside her chest, and she felt like she was committing suicide. _This is suicide. Maybe the Lord of Midnight will be kind enough to spare me if I'm caught. Just don't look down. Don't be caught. _These things keep going through her head as she went up, and up, and up. Then she reached a window. She put her fingers on the sill and looked cautiously in. There was no one inside the room.

She looked to see if there was a lock. For some reason it was on the outside. Surely they thought that one would be brave enough to climb all the way up there? She pulled out a lock pick from her bag, one hand on the rope, and proceeded to unlock the door. It took her hardly any time at all, she was learning to be the best thief in Abarat after all. Wren heard a faint_ click._ This was her signal. She opened the window, oh so slowly, and then climbed in. She tumbled on the hard floors, making no noise. Then she picked herself up, grabbed her grappling hook, and moved through the room.

It was eerily dark and quiet. Wren felt as though there was a creature lurking just beyond every shadow, always right behind her, yet unmoving. She silently gasped at the thought that it was Carrion. _No._ _It couldn't be!_ She turned around. No one was there. Suspicious, she lit a candle. Right behind where she would have been if she was walking, was no other, than the Prince of Midnight, ruler of his Twelfth Tower, Christopher Carrion himself.


	2. When a Thief is Caught

**I think that this story takes place sometime between the first book and the second.**

Chapter 2: When a Thief is Caught

He smiled a wretched, dreadful, almost agonizing smile. "Do you have a good explanation as to why you are in MY tower, let alone MY castle?"

Most people would have fell down at his feet begging for mercy, but Wren was not like that. "Could be I was looking for something." She said. "Oh…And what would that be for a young girl. Hmmm! Maybe a dark, spooky castle. Ways to prove that all the rumors about this place are true. What _is_ it?" His voice was rising at a fast pace, and Wren had heard what had happened when he got mad. She decided to take her chances.

"You know, I don't really know." She shrugged, and kept her voice calm and steady. This made his temper rise like fire in a forge.

He threw her against the wall, and his hand came up, onto, her throat, in such a quick motion she had no time to react. "First, you sneak into my tower hoping that you can steal something, and if you're caught you'll get mercy because you look so _innocent_." Wren knew this wasn't true, but her vision was fading at the corners of her eyes, making her have to focus on his horrid face. "Second, I asked you a question, and you still have never answered." He released his grip on her, but did not let go entirely, perhaps so she could speak.

"To…To come to see you my Lord." She spat "my lord" out like a snake, and received no mercy. Her vision clouded, causing her more pain. She did not feel it long, however, for she drifted into those unstable stages of unconscious. She felt herself slide down the wall, and hit the hard, cold, wood floors.

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Wren woke with a disruptive feeling. She instantly realized she was in a nice bed. _How long had she been asleep? Were the John brothers still waiting for her, risking THEIR lives every second, just to save her, captured though she was?_ Her mind flooded back with the memories of when she entered, and she shuddered. She sat up in the bed when she thought that there might still be a way for her to escape. Her planning was interrupted by Carrion.

"You're awake I see. How nice." He was about fifteen feet from her, sitting in a nice black velvet chair, reading a book. Wren scowled at him, even though she was thanking him for not letting her get thrown into the dungeons. He noticed her dislike," So you would rather be staying in the dungeons?" Her angered face quickly turned normal. She shook her head. "I thought you wouldn't." He said.

The Lord of Midnight was instantly back in business. "I know that you were not just here to see me. Who would be stupid enough to come in a back way, wishing to see me?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "You were looking for something weren't you?" Wren hid her anger from sight. She was mad that he had noticed her fowl so easily. Perhaps it was obvious? "Yes." She whispered. He nodded, then proceeded, "Anything imparticular? A book?" she shook her head, then said "Anything. How did you know all this?"

" I have my secrets," He said, priding himself. "I think I should let you get some more sleep. We have more business to discuss when you wake up." Then he left Wren in her fury, alone and helpless. _I'm his rat. His test subject. He doesn't care what happens to me. _She thought. At least he had given her a bed? _That is nice for someone who just broke into you're house_, she decided.

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"What is taking her so long! That girl! You are risking all our lives out here Mischief! Let her go! Turn back!" John Moot said. But John Mischief wouldn't turn back. Couldn't. He could not let her stay in that ugly tower, with all its terrors, knowing that she could still be alive, depending on them. "It's no use! Trust us!" This voice was Swallow's.

"No! No, no, no! What if she's still in there ALIVE! Think about that! She could've just run into something and had to deal with it. Like what we've done. You think she would just lay herself down at a maid's feet? She's not like that. THAT is why we would recruit her. Because she's no dummy, and because she doesn't give her freedom away so mercifully! You would all dead if we didn't stick together, and if I wasn't the head brother! But Wren has the wits, cunning, and intelligence of all of us put together!" There was some short arguing about John Mischief keeping them alive, but in the end they all agreed. They needed each other, but Wren did not.

They all sighed one big sigh as they thought of who else was like Wren. Candy Quakenbush. The stolen ship was silent as they mourned their last departure from her.

"We promised we'd see her again." John Drowze said, trying to cheer them up. "Mama Isabella will not fail us." As if to keep her promise, the sea below them let one wave send sea mist into the eight pairs of eyes, cheering them, and giving them new hope for Wren.

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Wren found she could not sleep. She remembered her bag, and how it had food in it, and searched herself. No bag. She searched the floor by the bed. Still no bag. She cursed in old Abaratian. This was not going to be a friendly visit.

" I want my bag, and I know you have it!" She shouted into the darkness. Her words echoed around the huge room. There was no answer. She got out of the bed, but before she could do anything, an invisible force held her. She looked up at the ceiling. There were creatures of horror, all of which would scare a child. But Wren was no child; she had faced many perils. But the longer she looked at them, the more they seemed to move. _I'm going crazy!_ She looked around the room. It was windowless, and there were books of all kinds stacked to the ceiling. _This is the Great Library._ Wren thought.

She tried to move again, but still that force held her. Then she sat down on the bed. The force let her go.

"You never fail to impress me. Even though I have only known you a short while." His voiced boomed through the darkness surrounding Wren. "I want my bag!" She shouted aimlessly. "Ah…Had enough have you? Am I to boring? How sad. Perhaps I should lighten your mood."

He can out of the shadows, carrying her bag. "Give that to me!" She shouted. She tried to stand and grab it, but her efforts were pointless-that force held her to the bed. As if to taunt her, he pulled back a little. "No? You wish not to have it?" Before he could do anything, Wren yelled, "No! I want it! Give it to me!" "You spoiled child." He said, and with that, threw her bag on the bed. She eagerly looked through it to find her rations were still there. By now, she was starving, and ate every crumb. He looked at her, and his look was unreadable. He started to depart, but as he reached the handle of the door leading away from the Library, he said " Feel free to roam outside the Towers, and ONLY outside. But be careful, for there are creatures. Evil creatures." And he opened the door and left.


	3. An escape, hurtful memories

Chapter 3:

Wren had managed to find a way out of the castle, and out into the forest of gallows. She befriended the ravens, who took particular interest in her. One of them crawled onto her shoulder, and whispered in her ear.

" Beware of the Prince of Midnight. He kills. Always beware…Never believe him…He is a liar…" And it flew away, leaving her to ponder on it's words. Carrion…liar? No doubt about it. She followed the path, until she saw an old, stone bench. It was buried under a pile of leaves, and vines were starting to creep up it. She cleared away the leaves, and sat cross-legged on it. She closed her eyes, and whispered "Illastial groperius!" She then started to meditate, the noises of the ravens cawing, and the wind blowing through the corpses fading, until she was alone in her own world. She felt herself lift off the bench, her legs still crossed, and float there. Wren did not open her eyes, for she was used to this.

She sat there, levitating, for what felt like a few minutes, but was really a few hours. Wren felt herself relaxing, and she felt more peaceful then she had the whole day.

" So you enjoy my Forest?" She jumped, and tumbled two feet, hit the bench, and fell to the gallow-leaf-strewn floor. She put her hand up to the newly forming bump on her head, and looked up to see the one person she wished she could avoid. She glared at him. He ignored her look and offered her a hand. She helped herself up, and stood less than three inches from him.

" I don't think anything here is enjoyable."

" Well that is quite sad, perhaps there is one thing that you might find enjoyable."

He grabbed her hand in his so fast she could not protest, and lead her away from the forest of gallows. Anytime she tried to pull away, he gripped her a little tighter. Besides that, his grip was not very tight at all, but his flesh was as cold as stone.

They came down to the shoreline, and Carrion finally let her go. She stubbornly pulled away, and stood there, enjoying the view. She took off her shoes, and then waded into the Izabella, until the water was a little above her ankles. She gasped at the mist when it sprayed her way, and then closed her eyes, and let the feel of the sand beneath her toes, the water splashing her legs, and the mist spraying her face and hair cleanse the fear and ugliness she had been feeling here.

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I watched her as she took off her shoes and walked into the water. She looked like all the troubles in the Abarat that she had ever faced were washed away from her in that very instant. I knew that the Sea was the one thing that she would find comforting in this place.

I waded in beside her, shoes and all, and put my hand on her shoulder. She really was a beautiful thing, if I might add. She glanced up at me. I could see the reflection of my face, complete with my glass case, in her glass-like green eyes.

And then it happened.

She turned to run back to the shore, as worried as a rabbit being chased by a fox would, but managed in knocking me down instead. I fell, and hit the ocean bottom. My glass shell that covered my face shattered. I tried to get up, but I felt a tremendous pain in my right ankle. So tremendous that it made me sit back down into the sea. My head started to sink down into the water, but then I felt hands wrap around under my armpits, and she started to pull me to shore.

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Wren grabbed The Prince of Midnight under the arms, and proceeded to pull him out of the water toward the shore. In her haste, she saw that his glass case had been broken.

They reached the land, and she knelt down beside him. She put her hand around his back.

"Up." She ordered.

He got up, with much help from Wren. And then he saw them.

There were people. Tons of people. And they had weapons, and fire, and horrid things of torture. But the worse part was that they were coming right for them.

Carrion tried to stumble on faster, but only managed to fall. Wren lifted him up again, and they stumbled on down the beach.

Then, if things could get anymore unexpected, they did. Wren suddenly turned around, and much to Christopher Carrion's surprise, said "Oprebtentab-Ingoto!"

The men and women were still running.

_What use did that have? _Thought Carrion. But then he saw that the people suddenly hit what looked to be an invisible wall. They hit the ground, and then got up to see what was the matter.

The spell only lasted for a little while, and only managed to get Wren and Christopher a few feet farther. Every once in while, Carrion would hear her call out the same spell again. But each few feet they gained only lasted for a few seconds, before the running citizens gobbled them up.

Finally, Wren got outraged.

"OPREBTENTAB-INGOTO!" She cried out.

But then carrion saw it.

The Wormwood.

A few more yards and they would be there. But only a few more yards till the people would be to them. But Wren's outrage seemed to bring more power to her spell then usual, and they managed to reach the Wormwood.

Wren cut the ropes, and let the ship sail away. Carrion barely managed to get onto the deck, before he blacked out.

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Christopher Carrion woke to find himself dragged against the edge of the boat. He looked up to find a tired looking Wren at the stern. She noticed that he had awoken, and went over to him.

She bent down, and looked at Carrion's foot. Then she looked him, who nodded. She nodded back, and then started to remove the robes and then the shoe wrapped around his right foot.

She then tore some robes of the Prince of Midnight, who looked startled at her doing so, and then preceded to wrap them around his ankle.

When she was done, she crawled away from Carrion, and then dropped down on the deck, asleep.

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As much as he hated leaving his Towers, especially with some random thief-of-a-girl, he couldn't help but get up and steer the boat. Then he realized that his efforts were of no use, for Wren had cast a spell on it that caused it to need no director.

Well, he was up anyway, so he figured that he would stay up. He felt empty without his glass case. He then realized that he had an open wound where the pipes that had lead out of his head into his glass chamber were gone. He screamed in agony as he felt the pain. Wren awoke.

She came over to him and said, "Shhhhh….Not so loud. They'll hear you." He pulled off another one his robes and tore it into pieces, then wrapped them around his head, and tied them. He felt dizzy, and almost fell over on top of Wren in the process of trying to sit down. She helped him-God bless her-and he managed, for the second time today, to black out.

The next thing he noticed, they were sailing toward some island. It looked to be a Day Island. But as they got closer, he realized it was artificial light. Pyon…He fell back asleep.

The next time he woke up, he was being dragged to some awful place. For some reason, there was no fake light here. He felt himself being dragged into a quiet room that was pitch black. He felt himself being covered in a blanket. Wow, he had fallen so low…

The next morning, he awoke to find that he was in a burned down building. The blanket that was covering him was actually Wren's cloak. No wonder his feet were sticking out.

"Here's your cloak back." He said as he handed it to her. As much as he despised wearing her cloak, he had come to the conclusion that it was much softer than any cloak he had ever possessed.

He looked around the room. There was a bunch of old wood beams, scarred from flame. Then it hit him.

He fumed.

He turned on his heel and walked right out of the ashes, into a burned-down orchard.

"What's wrong? Is this place not sanitary enough for you or something?" Wren had followed him out.

"'_This place_' is where I use to live. The Carrion Night Mansion. My father caused it to burn down."

Wren looked into his eyes, and could see the feelings and memories behind them.

"Ohhh…. I'm sorry about that." Was all she could manage to say.

"Can we leave?"

"Well the boat…it…it kinda broke…"

"WHAT!"

It seemed like this was the icing on the cake. His emotions went into overdrive. And guess who he decided to put them out on?

He turned around and punched Wren. She had a gut feeling that this was coming, and she caught his punch and gave it right back. He wasn't expecting this. She had to admit that she did have some street credit. He put his hand to his eye, where she had hit it, and then in his flurry, raged at Wren.

He tried to hit her in the face, but missed. He then tackled her to the ground, where they started to wrestle.

He was a strong opponent, she had to admit. But Wren was no shrimp. She put up a good fight.

In the end, they both wound up with a black eye, a few cuts, a bloody nose, a lot of bruises, and a lot of anger toward each other.

"Well, I thought we could try to blend in to get onto a boat, but no. You just had to get all mad and freaked out." Wren said.

Carrion had been looking toward the ground, bent over, trying to stop the bleeding from his nose, but now he looked up at her. His eyes had sunken in, and were black from being bruised. He looked possessed. He stood up to his full height.

"You…." He said.

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A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, I've been on vacation. But hopefully this chapter is long enough to suite you. A lot happened in this one.


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